One of the ways the clothing industry seeks to be profitable is by mass-producing garments in only a few sizes. T-shirts, for example, usually are available in small, medium, and large sizes. One-size-fits-all is a familiar sizing option for some garments as well.
Even where ten or more garment sizes are offered for sale, many customers seem not to fit into any of the available sizes. Consider, for example, a customer with a large waist and thin legs. Since the waist size is large, the customer is more likely to regularly find pants that are too loose on the legs or too tight in the waist. Also, the customer may find pants that will fit, but may not prefer the pants design.
Some changes are evident in the clothing industry. Some garment stores, for example, offer pants in many different styles, hoping to fit a larger percentage of customers. Still, the almost infinite variety of body sizes and fit preferences frustrate the ability to satisfy all customers.
Some garment manufacturers offer custom-fitting facilities, in which a customer either visits a sizing location or submits size data to the facility. For on-site service, a variety of sizing methods can be employed, from computer-directed body scanning techniques to the use of a tape measure. Once the body contour of the customer is established, a customer-specific garment can be produced.
Often, these facilities fail to produce customer satisfaction, since body contour measurements alone are used to produce the garment. Such measurements fail to account for the fit or design preferences of the customer.
Alternatively, garment manufacturers may request that customers make intermediate visits to the facilities so that they may try on a temporarily stitched garment, based upon the measurements taken. After trying on the temporary garment, the customer can opt for minor changes in the final stitching to make the garment fit or to adhere to a design as desired. However, since the material has already been cut in accordance with the preliminary measurements, adjustments in the fit and design will be limited to the amount of material that remains. Furthermore, manufacturers employing this methodology for supplying custom-made garments require the customer to make at least two separate visits to the sizing facility. Time-conscious customers would certainly prefer a system that requires as few visits as possible.
Another method adopted by some manufacturers is to use sizing garments to better ascertain the customer's preferences regarding fit. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,680,314 describes a partially finished sizing garment, with open extended overlapping seams. Upon wearing the garment, the customer specifies a fit preference, after which the garment size is recorded.
The partially finished portion of the sizing garment, however, limits the available fit that can be achieved for the customer. Only the unfinished portion is flexible enough to permit adaptation to the body contour of the customer or to be adjusted according to the customer's preferences. Thus, if the partially finished portion of the garment does not fit the customer properly or does not meet with the customer's style preference, the custom fitting will not succeed.
When designing the garments, adjusting an unfinished portion will not look right if the contour of the adjustment doesn't correspond to the partially finished portion. Generally, if the unfinished portion is to be modified, the finished portion will likewise need to be modified, to ensure that the garment has the proper drape and shape.
For example, the unfinished portion of a pants garment cannot be adjusted to have flare in the leg if the finished portion of the pants has already been cut to have a straight leg design. If the unfinished portion is to be modified and does not correspond to the finished portion, an improper drape of the garment is likely, resulting in unsuccessful design and sizing of the garment.
Finally, the partially finished sizing garment is sized by recording the desired fit, with each measurement point corresponding to an indicator affixed to the sizing garment. The indicator may include lines, color markings, numerals, or a combination thereof. If the facility employee incorrectly records the size preference, there is no way to inspect the final product for accuracy.
Furthermore, when a curved line is marked on the sizing garment during fitting, such as to indicate flared legs in pants, the curve may not be recorded, due to a limited number of measurement points. Increasing the number of measurement points improves the situation, but also increases the possibility that an entry is incorrectly recorded.
Thus, there is a continuing need to provide a way for true custom fitting of garments to be made.